Crew members at the East Anglian Air Ambulance will have life-saving face visors and other essential personal protective equipment (PPE) as they work with potential Covid-19 patients, thanks to a grant of £5,000 from Cambridgeshire Freemasons

The donation will help to purchase a range of PPE such as; high-protection masks, protective suits, respirators, gloves and gowns to keep the air ambulance crews safe to operate on the frontline. Cambridgeshire Freemasons are regular contributors to East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Last year alone, they received £9,000, with 20 Air Ambulances across England and Wales receiving £180,000 in total from Freemasons across England and Wales.

The grant from Cambridgeshire Freemasons comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF), the Freemasons' charity, their families and friends, from across England and Wales. In response to the extraordinary need created by the coronavirus pandemic, Freemasonry is providing special funding of £2.75 million for projects helping those who are particularly affected by the virus. This extra money comes on top of the estimated £45 million given to charity every year by Freemasons.

Richard Hindson, Head of Operations at the East Anglian Air Ambulance, said: 'We’re very grateful to Cambridgeshire Freemasons for their generous grant. Our crews’ safety is paramount and we need to keep them safe so that the helicopters and rapid response vehicles remain operational and ready to respond when needed. We attended 178 missions in March alone, and this equipment is vital to keep both ambulance crews and patients safe.'

Michael Hinton, from Cambridgeshire Freemasons, said: 'I’m very pleased we’ve been able to support the magnificent work of East Anglian Air Ambulance once again. It’s essential that their crews have the safety equipment they need to keep themselves and their patients safe while they make their vital contribution to the fight against the coronavirus.'